The simple Gift

As we near the Holiday where we celebrate Jesus' birth by getting ourselves stuff, I have read multiple articles on simplifying this and making it less about stuff and more about the reason we celebrate in the first place.

I have often wondered why we as a culture do so much in buying, but that hasn't stopped me from participating.  I think for my  family both growing up and current, there two times a year when you got presents, Birthday and Christmas.   Rarely have we gone to the store and have I bought my kids a toy to appease them.  (There have a few exceptions I must admit).  Typically though, if they have wanted something outside of those times they have had to save their allowance.  

So, I guess for me that is why I want those gifts to be special is they are infrequent.  But as I looked around my house this fall I realized truly our kids have no wants...the toy cabinet is bursting, they have pretty full wardrobes and we have a working tv. 

My oldest did come up with a list and as she is becoming more fashion conscious hers is full of clothes.  But it was my Alina who stole my breath.  You see we were at the mall and of course there was Santa.  She bubbled over with excitement to see him.  We waited our turn and she went up and told him her hearts desire.  I wasn't in listening range.

Later I asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her and her simple answer made me smile.  She said, "I would like a diary with a lock.  Sometimes I have thoughts in my head that I need to get out but I don't really want anyone else to read them.  I've been telling those to one person, but that's a lot for her to maintain my secrets, so I'd like to be able to write them down and lock it away."

I have no worries over the content of her secrets..thoughts are just that thoughts and knowing Alina her thoughts are not horrible or embarrassing, she just thinks they are.  But how sweet that when she could ask for anything in the world she chose such a simple gift. 

Many may wonder why we still talk of Santa.  Well a couple of years ago Izabella came home from school telling me that some kids were saying Santa wasn't real.  I thought about confessing right then and getting this charade over with.  Until her next sentence, "Mom Santa has to be real.  He brings hope to people and people need hope."  Now I know Jesus is the ultimate hope, but the Saints can help too.

We have always maintained the relationship that Jesus and Santa have (you know Santa helps Jesus out).  I had a friend tell me that she still believes in Santa because he is like magic and we all need a little magic in our lives.  Does she think there are going to be unexplained gifts under the tree?  No, but it's that sense of wonder we lose as we "grow up."  I am trying to let my children have that sense of wonder as long as they can.  So Santa will likely find a way to give little Alina a diary with a lock.